if you were to eat a slice of bread left in the fridge, would you heat it up first or just eat it cold with whatever you usually put on bread? or would you just let it sit on the counter until it's room temp?

Who puts bread in the fridge?

Put it out until it's room temp because I'm not a monster????

holy fucking shit the votes are coming in so fast. literally 100 votes in 15 seconds what the hell

People feel strongly about MCYT Sexymen.

Also multiple people have told us they have post notifications on.

Can you blend @/x-ca1iber on tumblr for their bread-related crimes?

@x-ca1iber from Tumblr is being blended!!

You cannot save brii.

hey, medusa!!! i’m wanting to run an exchange, but i’ve never done so before. do you have a guide or some tips?

Okay. Oh boy. I do not have a formal guide. What I know off the top of my head (this is a bit fragmented cause I've been at a wedding all weekend) is this.

If you are running an exchange, it is orders of magnitude easier to do it on Ao3 rather than using a google form and hand-matching. This is for two reasons. One is the aforementioned hand-matching— it's more complicated to get people to sign up on Ao3, but you can make guides for it, and matching through Ao3 is a like 90 minute process including checking for people who've made Do Not Match requests, and hand-matching if you have more than like 9 people is a multi-day process. I think it took me four day to match the holiday exchange last time, and I had an insane spreadsheet about it. The other aspect is communication— through Ao3 you just press a button and everyone gets their assignment emailed to them. If you're using a google form, you have to fall back on either having a discord you get everyone to join (which you then have to moderate, and then send individual messages) or using tumblr messaging (and if you send more than 50 messages to people a day it caps you, and if you do that three days running, you get shadow banned).

It is vitally important that you allow a space for people to put down their Do Not Wants, to avoid people getting fics or art they hate or are actively triggered by. But it really helps if you can emphasize that your Do Not Want needs to be neutral and polite, cause who knows who is gonna get your request, cause otherwise you do have people signing up with things like "no dark fic or creepy stuff" and not only is that rude to people who like dark fic, that's REALLY hard to moderate— what's "creepy stuff"? Who decides?

If you are having an exchange that's over a month long, it's really helpful to have a check-in to make sure everybody is still working on the gift and to remind people that the deadline is coming. You'll always get defaults around check-in time as people go OH SHIT.

Expect that about 20% of your exchange will either default (communicating this with you) or just no-show at the deadline. Do not assume that someone who missed a deadline is going to get it in soon, you need to follow up with them IMMEDIATELY and start saying things like "if I haven't heard from you in 8 hours I'm going to assume you've defaulted and send this to pinch hits", or things will stretch on for WEEKS. You'll need pinch hitters for these people who didn't get their gift done— and like, this isn't a thing to be mad at— people get sick, computers blow up, people leave the fandom, internet goes out, life happens— and you'll need a plan in place to get assignments to the pinch hitters, and a timeline for them to get their gift done. I've had people noshow because they left the fandom and they didn't think to tell anyone, and I've had people noshow because they were in intensive care. You get the whole spectrum. Remember that when you're communicating with someone, you COULD be talking to the intensive care person, so be direct and actionable (I need to hear from you within x timeframe or I'm gonna assume you're unable to get your gift done) but still be polite. With a 1k assignment minimum, most pinch-hitters can get a gift done in a week or less.

Spend some time thinking about your content rules and how you'll enforce them. The point of moderation is not to provide a value judgement for anything, no matter your personal opinions, you're there to be an impartial enforcer of the rules— rules that were clear enough to start with that everyone had a reasonable understanding of them when they entered the space, so that they could make an informed decision about the space and if they would be comfortable there. So a rule like "no e-rated fics" is fine and enforceable, and if you have an exchange with minors that's a reasonable idea, but a rule like "no dark content" becomes very hard to enforce, because who's defining that? Does dark humour count? How dark can angst-with-a-happy-ending get before it counts? If there's torture in your source material, can it be used in work? Major Character Death? And so on. You need to look at your rules and go "how would someone who doesn't know me interpret that" if at all possible, and try and think of worst case scenarios, and try and make things clear and understandable and enforceable.

Within MCYT spaces, if you're doing anything multifandom/anything that goes outside of your circle of friends, I'd really recommend not trying to enforce streamer boundaries, because every different social circle has a different understanding of what those boundaries are. Trying to make a set of rules that includes both hermitfandom and lifesteal fandom and dsmp fandom, while including boundaries, is a screaming nightmare. Plus you start having to run down clips for things instead of actually running your exchange, and it is flat out impossible to find recent and fully informed clips that can't be misinterpreted, for a startling variety of streamers who you'd think (from your social circle) was settled known fact where we had a powerpoint presentation from the streamer. In my opinion running an exchange as Don't Like: Don't Read, maybe with major content warning rules (enforcable and clear!), and then making sure to match carefully is the only way forward.

As a mod, you become basically a non-judgemental customer service guy for a month. You are non-partisan. I've had this happen, and it is REALLY demoralizing to have a mod go "lol that's weird" or "this segment of the fandom is kind of funny" or "we don't want any of those guys" in a space that's theoretically supposed to be welcoming, so if you have said things like "everyone is welome" you have to mean it. There is nothing someone can bring you that makes you go "that's weird" for the duration of the exchange, even if you personally are absolutely not vibing with a person's ships or prompts or aus, or their reason for not getting their fic done seems flimsy, or whatever else. Your entire job is to be non-judgemental supportive helpful rules person, and that's it. You will answer questions already answered in the FAQ a lot.

That's all I can think of, if you have futher questions ask away. :D

i’m woefully horrible at commitment so i’m quite on the fence about signing up as a writer, but if y’all are in dire need i would be willing to join!

i’m just curious about the commitment level of this? i’ve only done one big bang before.

i don't think we're in dire need right now, but the more the merrier!

For commitment, you'd be required to write at least 6k (as a one shot) in about 3 months. so like 2k per month. I'd think its a pretty mid-level commitment? Do whatever you think would work! If you wouldn't be able to, don't force yourself to join, it's alright :D but if you really want to I won't stop you

i lowkey feel kind of dumb for asking this, but do you have a tag for ask games? i just searched your blog for 'ask game' and a TON of stuff popped up

Haha, okay, so, I do not have a tag for ask games. I have multiple

I figured instead of copypasting the link to the og game or pinning it to my blog for those who want it, I would just create a specific tag that one could follow back to the beginning to find it. So I have a bunch of stuff like "color ask game" or "what am i ask game" etc. that someone who was interested in the game could click because I would always tag the og post with it as well

Hindsight is making me realize that maybe I should have added a generic "ask game" tag along with it >_> though if you just wanna scroll a little bit through "answered ask" most posts under there are in fact games because my inbox is quiet af

my favorite part of ur poll about the mechs puns is scrolling through the notes and preening whenever people say “i love x-caliber” bc i’m like. !!! that’s me!!! people love me!!!! i know they mean the pun but like. yknow :4

I love that! That's so fun, thank you for sharing! That was not an outcome I foresaw when making the poll, but it is an outcome I am happy to hear about.

so. the mechanisms. please. i am in my hands and knees begging you. please.

If you're asking me to liveblog listening to them I will but I'm really busy for a little while.

tell me about your OCs :)

MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHA YES YOU HAVE FALLEN INTO MY TRAP!

*slams down Ceana (art by @fizzello)*

Ceana is a DnD NPC I made for my ongoing campaign, I can't say what her future holds due to @fizzello being in said campaign and heavily connected to Ceana, BUT I can cover her background!

Kenny, if you read past this you pink promise not to meta game with this info.

Born at the very young age of 0 to two loving elven parents, Ceana was the oldest of eight, and the only girl. She and her seven brothers grew up on a farm, and it was great!

Her mother was really into music and taught them all how to play instruments and sing, while her father taught them about gardening and tending to crops - he was also the one who encouraged them to talk about their feelings and be who they wanted to be, regardless of what the rest of the family thought. Those speeches are probably one of the big reasons her little brother, Selanar, felt so comfortable coming out as trans at such a young age.

Outside of home life Ceana also attended school of course, and it was there she picked up on magic. Her school wasn't well funded so it didn't offer any magic courses, but one day a Wizard stopped by to talk to the school about a magic academy that she could never hope to afford.

Despite this, the introduction to magic had her diving head first into teaching herself it. She borrowed library books, saved up pocket money for scrolls, and even bugged local magic users into teaching her basic spells.

When she was about 11 she got a postcard, it was from the academy she had heard about a few years prior. They wanted to give her a partial scholarship to attend, she could learn magic from some of the best teachers in the region. But, she would have to move away from her family.

Her mother and father encouraged her, so she prepared to leave just after her 12th birthday. It's funny how things work though, because only a few days before she was due to leave her mother was rushed to the hospital - her 7th and final baby brother on his way. She would never come home.

She wanted to stay with her family, wanted to skip out of magic school, but her father insisted she go so she did. She would end up doing quite well despite the grief.

Someone that really helped her cope was her girlfriend who I have not named yet ignore that, they started out as rivals because... rich girl who's good at magic vs poor girl underdog. But yeah, she visited her family during breaks and did really well in classes!

Two years into her classes she got a letter, her father was gone. She rushed home to her siblings. She knew what would happen if they were sent to new homes, they'd be separated. So, at the age of 14 she took custody of all her siblings. DnD logic do not question it-

She gave up magic, gave up her girlfriend, everything to raise her siblings. She worked so many jobs just to give them a normal childhood. She was 17 when the deal of a lifetime came up, complete a quest from the queen and receive riches beyond your imagination. They weren't accepting any more volunteers, but she begged with them until they allowed her to do the task.

Its been two years since then, two years trapped in a book, two years since shes seen her brothers, two years since she made the worst decision of her life.

Anyway I love her and she has future lore stuff <3

🫵

i know you from somewhere but i can’t remember. (or maybe i’m making it up.) anyways. silly username matching!!!!!

we’re in askers hq together :D

(matching usernames ayyyyyy)

soup polycule for fucked up ship bingo <3

My objectively correct opinion is that they're platonic -- LISTEN, I see the vision, I simply do not accept it L + ratio

SEND ME YOUR SHIPS AND I WILL MAKE THEM INTO A BINGO THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE FUCKED UP

🎧

ooo thank you so much for the ask!!

Hardest of Hearts - Florence + The Machine

i’ve been kind of insane about this song for the past week or so, and the lyric that really sticks with me is this:

there is love in your body but you can't get it out it gets stuck in your head, won't come out of your mouth

because yea. it really is like that! i have so much love and i am an affectionate person at heart, but i get stuck when i try to express it! i’m so not normal about this song or these lyrics

oli/eddie for the ask game?

its fucking awesome i support oli fucking dads FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

important! always ask before you kiss! it can be as simple as “can i kiss you?”

let them guide you, because kissing should be reciprocal and if it isn’t then maybe you shouldn’t be kissing this person.

close-mouthed kissing is basically just pressing your lips together. pretty chaste and is generally quick.

open-mouthed kissing is not something i enjoy so i don’t think i can explain it very well tbh

side-note! kissing is not a universal experience, so it’s always best to ask your partner what they want first.

THANKNYOU. I already knew I was going to ask her ‘can I kiss you’ because yeah consent but also because liek that’s kinda hot. Like if someone asked me that I WOULD kiss zhem. And thamk you for the rest!

ivorycello for the ask game?

First impression: omg! good for her! i can’t wait to see what she does next! :D

Impression now: honestly much the same but with a little more I Am Squinting For Plot In The Videos

Favorite moment: “it’s been a while since i’ve gotten to sink my fangs into anything living” but simply because it makes me think that she just bit into a warden’s arm with full jaw strength for like 5-8 seconds

Unpopular opinion: hot take alert i kind of actually hate it when people try and tie her old lore (before she came out) to her new character. no matter what way they do it, whether they have her as a separate character who ends up the new protagonist or they just find-replace the old character with her, the only effect is it pisses me off and goes directly against her requests to not bring up/write more stuff with her old lore. Stop Doing That.

Favorite relationship: none yet that i can think of! excited to see what the dynamic between her and ebonyviolin will be, though

Favorite headcanon: statue that bleeds. don’t ask me how this works that’s just the Vibe. also a joke headcanon i have is that there’s theoretically infinite Alternate Ivories that all have the same [expensive material] [string instrument] naming scheme. for example: mahoganyharpsichord,

Idea for a story: none yet! i’m waiting until we have more canon info

😃

dunno if were supposed to elaborate lol, but you’re cool like a celebrity that doesn’t get much social interaction and i imagine i am holding out my hand to you like you are a deer… pspsps

😀 - I’m not afraid of reaching out to you.

Me RN:

Also I have a burning desire to be more active in the server we share! Even if I say I'm "active" in a few servers my definition of "active" is apparently like one message every three days 😫 The server's a very chill place and I have a handful of other acquaintances/friends I wish to speak with more <3